The Japanese government has asked France, which will chair next year's Group of Seven (G7) summit, to respond cautiously as it considers inviting Chinese President Xi Jinping. A government official said on the 2nd that concerns were conveyed, noting that "China is distant from the values of freedom, democracy and the rule of law shared by the G7."
The G7 is a forum of advanced economies consisting of the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Canada and Japan. Next year's summit will be held in June in Evian in eastern France. French President Emmanuel Macron will visit China starting on the 3rd to hold talks with Xi and may discuss the invitation issue directly at that meeting.
Macron has been proactive about expanding economic cooperation with China, and analyses have consistently said he aims to turn around domestic politics, weakened at home, through diplomatic achievements. Bloomberg News reported last month that France informally sent an invitation plan to Germany and that Germany is also reviewing it positively.
France also has a precedent of inviting then-President Hu Jintao to the G8 summit held in Evian in 2003 to conduct expanded talks between major and emerging countries.
Japan, the only Asian member of the G7, has continually raised issues such as China's maritime expansion, economic coercion and human rights. At the G7 summit held in Canada in June this year, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, with China in mind, emphasized the need to strengthen G7 engagement in the Indo-Pacific region.
Within the Japanese government, there are concerns that Xi's attendance could make it difficult to address China-related issues as a common agenda within the G7. A Japanese diplomatic source said, "We are communicating closely with France, and France fully understands Japan's concerns."